Organ



June 10, 1930. q MARR 1,762,274

ORGAN Filed Oct. 20,1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nwwwwwfiww i I I VENTOR 2 ZSATTO EY S June 10, 1930.

0. MARR ORGAN Filed Oct, 20. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 IIfLVENTOR BY 2 K&5 ATTORNEYS Patented June 10, 1930 PATENT OFFICE DAVID MARE, OF WARSAW,NEW YORK ORGAN Application filed October 20, 1926. Serial No. 142,792.

This invention relates to musical instruments, and more particularly topipe organs, one object of the invention being to provide an organhaving an improved stop mecha- 5 nism of such a character as to make iteasy for any organist to quickly select and render the correct tonecolors for any desired musical action, mood or emotion.

Another object is to provide such a mechanism comprising a means wherebythe organist may devote maximum attention to the technical requirementsof the composition being performed with a minimum amount of interruptionin operating the stop keys. Another object is to provide a stopmechanism of such character that it may be easily and unerringlyoperated by an organist unfamiliar with the particular combination ofstops connected with the stop keys. A further object is to provide anorgan stop mechanism so constructed and arranged as to materiallyfacilitate the operation of the same by an unskilled organist. Still afurther object is to provide an organ construction particularly adaptedand convenient for the accompaniment of motion pictures, and providedwith stop keys, each having associated therewith, as by means of adescriptive word or words, the corresponding tone color, so that even anunskilled organist or one unfamiliar with the organ may quickly andcorrectly render the correct tone colors for each sense, emotion oraction portrayed on the screen in accurately timed relation with thesame. i 1

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvementsand combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of an organ keyboard embodying the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is an enlargement of a portion shown in Figure l, to illustratethe additional stop keys and the indicating means for the same; and

- Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of an organ mechanism embodyingthe present invention.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate-thesame parts.

The modern organ is commonly provided with a series of stop keys asindicated for example at 5, Figures 1 and 3, for controlling the tonalcolors or combinations. Such keys, however, have been commonly unmarkedor merely numbered or provided with the technical names of stops orother musical instruments, the organist having to rely upon his memoryas to the meaning in terms of actual tone color of such designations, aswell as the combination of stops controlled by each key, and also todistinguish between the dif ferent keys, with the result that theattention has been distracted from the performance of the composition tothe operation of the stops. This has been particularly the case in theoperation of strange organs and in performances by unskilled organists,and these difficulties are present to a still greater degree in playingan accompaniment for motion pictures, where the tone colors must bequickly and abruptly changed to correspond with the changing emotionsportrayed on the screen.

It has been found that these difiiculties may be effectively solved byselectively grouping the organ stops to correspond with the range ofmusical moods and emotions and providing the keyboard with a stop keyfor each combination visually marked to clearly describe the tone colorof the same in terms of: a mood or situation, as by means of a clearlydescriptive word or words or an appropriate color marking. ThusFigure 1. shows a two manual keyboard comprising keys 6. In ad dition tothe usual series of stop keys for hand registration shown at 5, there isprovided an additional or auxiliary series of stop keys 7, eachconnected as hereinafter described with a corresponding group of stops.This series of keys and corresponding stop combinations represents thefull range of musical moods. Each of these keys 7 is marked with avisual indication clearly expressing the particular shade of toneproduced by the operation of the same. Such marking may have differentforms, such as a word or words directly expressing the tone color interms of a mood or situation as at 8, or color indications, such as thedisks 9 conventionally lined to indicate the colors commonly used on thescore to in dicate the corresponding tone value. Preferably suchindications are placed directly on the keys inwardly of the outer endsof the same so as to be conveniently and quickly read by the organist.

The operating mechanism for the stop keys is shown diagrammatically inFigure 3 as composed of devices which are individually well known in theart. Thus each auxiilary key 7 has a rear arm 10 of conducting materialconnected in circuit, as by means of a wire 11 with a source of power12. This key end, in rising as the key is depressed, contactsmomentarily at 13 with spaced contacts let. The latter are connectedwith a magnet 15 in the oit switch. This magnet raises its armaturecontrolling the usual valve port by which the wind in the valvepneumatic 16 is exhausted. The collapsing pneumatic lowers a doublevalve 17 so that the wind passes through a channel 18 into a largepneumatic 19. lVhen a stop key 7 is fully depressed its end 10 breaksconnection with the contacts let so that magnet 15 is denergized withthe result that valve 17 is again raised by its inflated pneumatic 16and the wind passes from the large pneumatic 19 through the channel 18into a box 20 having a bleed hole 21 controlled by a regulating block orchoke 22. The regulation of this choke block varies the amount ofopening of the bleed hole, and governs the speed at which the largepneumatic 19 is exhausted.

The large pneumatic 19 carries a contact 23 positioned to engage with acooperating contact 9% when the pneumatic is inflated. Contact 2% isconnected by a wire 25 with a magnet 26 in the off machine 27. Vhenpneumatic 19 is inflated magnet 26 is energized. with the result thatthe valve 28 of the oil machine is lowered and wind is admitted from theoff machine through a channel 29 to pipes 30 and 31 leading to the stopkey off pneumatics 32 and 33 respectively. These pneumatics, of whichthere is one for each registrator stop key. pull all of these keys ofiexcept the one depressed to cause the operation.

hen the auxiliary stop key '7 is fully depressed its end 10 engages alsowith a contact 3% thus sending current through the wire 35 to the relaymagnet 36. This raises the magnet armature controlling the usual valvefor exhausting the pneumatic 37 so that valve 38 is lowered,transmitting wind through passage 39 to a contact pneumatic 40. Thispneumatic carries a contact 41 which, upon inflation, enga 'es acooperating contact plate 1 2 to which are connected the stop wires 43leading to the combination board 44. This combination board comprisesthe usual stop spreader 45 connected by wires through the main cable 46with the stop spreader 47 at the organ end to which all of the stops arewired. At 48 is the usual switch and at 49 the switch action, whichparts, together with the various solo accompaniment and pedal relaysindicated generally at 50 and the pipe chest 51, are well understood inthe art and require no further description. At 52 are shown the solomanual keys, and accompaniment keys, and 53 represents the pedal keyswhich are connected in the usual manner and likewise require nodescription.

The invention thus provides an organ keyboard with a stop key for eachof a complete gamut of tone colors, each key marked with a word or wordsor with a color to clearly describe its particular tone in terms of acorresponding mood or situation. By mood or situation is meant, ofcourse, the mood, emotion, action or situation desired to be expressed.Of course an organist may select and combine the stops with theditlerent keys to suit his particular taste, and such a stop key systemgreatly reduces the attention which must be devoted to it at the expenseof proper handling of the technical difficulties of the compositionbeing played. Such an arrangement moreover largely solves the problem ofplaying unaccustomed organs, and the difiiculties of unskilledorganists, and greatly facilitates the manipulation of the stops in thediflicult work of accompanying the rapidly changing moods of motionpictures. Thus even an unskilled organist, playing a strange organ toaccompany a motion picture film, upon a sudden change in the action orsituation as, for example, the protrayal of a riot scene, does not haveto first translate this situation into the technical terms of the usualorgan stops or to recollect and select combinations of the same, but mayimmediately press a stop key marked riot or with some other worddirectly and. imme diately expressive of the particular tone colordesired, which may thus be unerringly and readily produced in anappropriate and well balanced tonal combination. The invention thusgreatly facilitates the playing of an organ particularly as anaccompaniment for the rapidly successive scenes of motion pictureprojection, especially by an unskilled organist or one playing anunfamiliar orgill].

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an organ mechanism comprising a series of stopkeys. of an additional series of keys for controlling se lected groupsof stops controlled by the stop keys of said first-named series, the.keys o'l said last-named series being provided with visual indicatingmeans inherently expressing the tone color produced by the operation ofthe keys of said additional series.

2. The combination with an or an mechanism comprising a series of stopeys, of an additional series of keys for controlling selected groups ofstops controlled by the stop keys of said first-named series, the keysof said last-named series being each provided with a color marking, andalso with one or more words inherently expressing the tone colorproduced by the operation thereof.

3. The combination with an organ mechanism comprising a series of stopkeys each g controlling a predetermined selection of stops, of means forvisually indicating the tone color obtained by such selections.

4. In an organ mechanism, a series of stop keys for controlling certainstops, an additional series of keys, means whereb said latter keyscontrol selected groups 0 stops actuated by said first named stop keys,and means for visually indicating the tone'color produced by theoperation of each key of the said additional series of keys.

5. In an organ construction, the combination with a multiplicity oforgan stops, of a series of combination stops each operatively connectedrelatively permanently to a plurality of selected organ stops, and meanson each combination stop for indicating visually by mere inspection thegeneral tonal characteristics of the plurality of organ stops connectedto such combination stop.

DAVID MARR.

